


Happy Birthday

by iloveromance



Category: The Good Wife (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24159838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveromance/pseuds/iloveromance
Summary: A party to celebrate Will's victory after his Grand Jury hearing turns into something even more special. (Episode: "Another Ham Sandwich")
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Alicia tried to keep the smile from her face as she looked at her concerned children, but the feat proved to be impossible. It had been a long time since she'd felt this happy. But that happiness brought confusion on the faces of her children, Grace and Zach.

She couldn't really blame them, though. She'd given them enough to be anxious about in recent months that it was understandable. And she was so touched by their worry that she almost laughed.

She loved them so.

Always playing the coveted role of elder brother, Zach spoke right up. "Mom, you wanted to talk to us?"

"Yeah, what is it, Mom?" Grace asked, making her presence known yet again.

Alicia sighed deeply. This was it. There was no turning back now. "I-I haven't been a very good mom."

To her delight, Grace and Zach began to protest her confession;

"Mom, that's not true at all!"

"No way! You're a great mom!"

She smiled and took their hands in hers, squeezing gently. "Well, thank you for the confidence, even though you're just being nice. I haven't been a very good mom, but thank you anyway. I promise that I'm going to try to live up to your overzealous expectations and be the kind of mom that you deserve."

"It's fine, Mom." Grace said, squeezing Alicia's hand.

Alicia's heart warmed and she hugged her daughter and son warmly. "Thank you, Grace. You too, Zach. I love you both."

"We love you." Grace replied.

She hugged them both tighter. "Thank you."

When the hug ended, the three of them drew back from one another and for a moment the room fell silent.

"So now what?" Grace asked, breaking that silence at last.

Alicia grinned. "Um, actually I need to go back to work."

Her son and daughter's eyebrows rose. And Alicia smiled at Zach. "Yes, that was Kalinda on the phone. They're having a party at the office…. Um… for Will."

Ever the celebratory type, Grace's face registered excitement. "Oh, is it his birthday?"

The question made her laugh, for she wouldn't dare tell her children what the party was really celebrating; the fact that Will had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Grand Jury. It was too complicated to explain and they didn't really need to know about it. And actually, she liked the idea of a birthday party much better.

"Something like that." She replied.

"What did you get him?" Grace asked.

Alicia's eyebrows rose. "What?"

"For his birthday." She replied. "A present."

"Oh… I didn't even think about that. But don't worry. I'll find something." Alicia said, playing along. "Are you two going to be all right? I'm just going to go for a little while; make an appearance. I won't be long."

Suddenly anxious to leave, she grabbed her purse and quickly began searching for her keys until she found them sitting by the stack of bills that still needed to be paid. She picked up the envelopes and began searching through them, trying to decide which was the most important to pay first.

"Why not?"

Alicia put down the envelopes and looked at her daughter. "Excuse me?"

"Take all the time you want, Mom. Zach and I will be fine. Have fun."

She touched her children's cheeks, surprised when they didn't pull away in embarrassment. "When did you two become so grown-up?"

"Mo-oom..." Zach said in that voice that told her he wasn't comfortable with the sentiment.

"Mom, go on." Grace urged with a smile. "You'll be late for your party."

That was all the coaxing Alicia needed.


	2. Chapter 2

The elevators opened onto the floor of Lockhart/Gardner, revealing a party that was in full swing. Alicia stepped onto the carpeted floor, her eyes scanning the sea of faces; all of whom were having a good time. David Lee was laughing at something amusing Cary had said, while Kalinda was deep in conversation with Howard Lyman, although Alicia suspected that Kalinda would have rather been talking to someone else-anyone else.

People were drinking champagne, laughing and carrying on so that one might have assumed it was New Year's Eve. But it was the scene in the corner that made her smile. Will and Diane were dancing the night away in each other's arms. He twirled Diane around and around with the grace and sophistication of Fred Astaire. Alicia wished she'd had a camera, for it was a picture-perfect scene.

Will looked so happy, and with good reason. After all that he'd been through (the humiliation of countless accusations, the possibility of a prison sentence, and the loss of his pride.) he deserved that happiness more than anyone.

But she couldn't help feeling the tiniest bit jealous.

It was crazy. Diane was her friend, her mentor and her supervisor, not to mention married; very married to Curt McVeigh. She was hardly a threat to Alicia's relationship with Will, but the jealously was still there. Damn, why couldn't she be the one he was holding in his arms, twirling around the room?

And then it occurred to her. She could be in Diane's place; easily in fact.

She made a beeline for the couple, torn between hating to interrupt them and selfishly wanting Will Gardner all to herself. And so she stood there, smiling at them until the song ended. The law firm partners shared a hug and more laughs and Diane held up her empty flute. "More champagne?"

"Yeah, thanks." Will replied. "I-." He paused, obviously surprised to see that he and Diane were no longer alone. At first Alicia thought he might be angry or annoyed at her presence. But then he smiled. "Hey! I was wondering when you were going to show up."

Alicia smiled as her cheeks warmed. "Well, I thought-."

"It wouldn't be much of a party without you."

His complements were almost too much to take. "Will-."

"I'll get the champagne and leave you two to talk." Diane said with a nod and a smile. "Alicia would you like some champagne?"

"No, I… Well, okay. Thanks, Diane."

Diane smiled and turned away and Alicia found herself alone with Will. As if by fate, a slow, romantic song began to play. Their eyes met and the question hung in the air, suspended by a thread. But she didn't have to worry. The question didn't even need to be asked.

They hesitated only a moment before they moved toward each other. His arm slipped around her waist, her hand covered his. Wordlessly they began to move back and forth to the music and before she realized what she'd done; her head was resting against his shoulder. The scent of his cologne wafted under her nose, bringing with it a million memories. She knew it was risky, being this close to him. The move was dangerous, because she didn't want to advertise that they were a couple-or at least appeared to be one. But she found it all but impossible to pull away. And frankly she couldn't bear to leave the comfort and warmth of his arms. She'd always felt so safe there.

It felt as though they had barely begun to dance when she heard the familiar strands of the last few notes, indicating that the song was about to end. But almost immediately another song began; one that was familiar to both of them. It was a song from Georgetown; a song from their past.

She lifted her head and their eyes met; their faces just inches apart. It would be so easy to bring her lips next to his. Sure it would be a risk, but everyone was drunk anyway. The chances were very good, that-

"Alicia I can't thank you enough for this."

The comment surprised her. "You're thanking me? For what?"

"For saving me."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Grand Jury thing."

She froze in place. "Will…"

"No, I mean it. You really came through for me and I know that it couldn't have been easy. I mean, I can't even imagine what the jury panel must have asked you. I-."

The magical moment burst into pieces and landed at her feet.

She was silent for a long time. When she was finally able to look up at him, she was barely aware that she had stopped dancing and was standing perfectly still. His hands were on her shoulders and suddenly she could no longer meet his gaze.

"I-."

"Alicia, what is it?"

She pulled away from him and pushed her way through the crowd, painfully aware that he was calling her name. She didn't look at anyone; couldn't look at anyone. Instead she made a beeline for her office. Once inside she shut the door and sank into her chair. She just wanted to be left alone.

But Will Garner was not a man who let her get her way that easily. Not this time anyway. He was, as always, one step ahead of her.


	3. Chapter 3

He knocked on the door and hesitated only a moment before opening it. "Hey."

She wiped the tears from her eyes, never turning away from the window where her gaze had been transfixed on the stunning Chicago skyline. She'd seen the view a million times before, and she never grew tired of it. But now it pulled her in, made her feel safe. And so she stayed as she was, quivering when she felt him walk into the room.

"Alicia-." He said, making her shiver at the sound of her name.

Still looking out the window, she sighed deeply and prayed that her voice would remain steady, although she knew that it would not. "I've always hated this office. Who was the idiot who decided that it was a good idea to use so much damn glass in this building? Don't they understand that people have offices so that they can close the door and have some privacy?"

"What's going on? What are you doing in here?"

Without meeting his gaze, she began rummaging around in her desk, opening the drawers, thumbing through the hundreds of files that lay within them. "I-I was looking for something. The-The Randolph file." She lied. "I-I needed to get a phone number for his doctor for Kalinda to investigate because you know, that bruise on his forehead-."

Will walked behind the desk and took the red folder from her hand, startling her.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she yelled. "I need that!"

"Not tonight you don't."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Will-."

His expression was serious now. "First of all, you're here for a party, not to work. And second, we don't even have a case like this, much less a client named Mr. Randolph."

"But-."

"And third-." He said, putting his hand on her chin so that she'd have no choice but to look at him. "I am your boss and I'm ordering you to tell me what this is all about."

"It's nothing, I-."

"I'm not stupid, Alicia! I know you work hard, damn hard. You work harder than anyone. But I find it a little suspicious that you were having the time of your life out there and as soon as I thanked you for helping me with the Grand Jury testimony-."

"I never said you were stupid, Will. I just… I want to be left alone, okay?"

He stared at her for a moment and the silence between them was almost deafening. "No."

Annoyed, she rose from her chair and headed for the door. "Fine. Have it your way. You can stay if you like but I'm going home. It was a bad idea, coming here tonight." She tried to move but his grip was tight on her forearm; not tight enough to hurt of course, for even in his angriest mood, Will would never hurt her, but it was enough to know that he meant business. Her heart, however, was crying out in agony.

Reluctantly she looked up at him.

"Alicia, what is it? Is it something I said? Something I did?"

Her eyes lowered. "No..."

"Then what?"

She knew him so well. She knew him better than anyone; well enough to know that he wasn't going to let this go. Not a chance in hell. She was like a defendant on the stand that the jury already knew was lying, and Will knew it too. All he had to do was get the truth out of her. And he would succeed. He was a brilliant, amazing lawyer and there was no doubt-."

"I-."

He leaned forward, the way he often did when a witness spoke too softly for him to hear. "You..."

A sob escaped and she covered her mouth with her hand. There was no backing out now. "I ruined everything, Will! Can't you see that?"

He tilted his head in that adorable way that she loved so much. It was a look that told her he was listening intently and wanted to hear more. "What are you talking about? You didn't ruin anything. I'm free, aren't I?"

"But I did, Will! Sure, you passed the test or whatever they call it, but when I was in there… I tried so hard! I tried to be strong, but-."

"What happened?"

"I couldn't take it anymore! I just got up and walked out. But the moment I got to my car-."

He took her hands and guided her to the sofa that sat in the corner of her office. And then he knelt beside her, still holding her hands. It was the sweetest, most romantic gesture she'd ever seen. Or it would have been, had she not felt this way.

"Alicia, talk to me, please. What happened? What did they ask you?"

The image of Wendy Scott-Car came to mind and tears spilled onto her cheeks; tears that Will began brushing away almost immediately.

"Was it bad?" His voice was low and soft; the voice of someone who loved her, but shouldn't.

And the tears fell even faster as she squeezed his hands and nodded, unable to speak louder than a whisper. "It was horrible."


	4. Chapter 4

He stood, cursing under his breath as he paced the room. And then in a fit of anger he picked up the red folder and threw it across the room, sending the contents flying in every direction before they floated to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Will." Alicia whispered.

"You have no reason to be sorry, Alicia. You didn't do anything wrong! Whatever you said, or did… I'm sure it was well-intended."

"No."

"Alicia, listen to me! Whatever Wendy asked you-."

"Our relationship is none of her business, Will! It's none of anyone's business! I don't care what the damn Grand Whatever you and I did-."

"Come on, Alicia, tell me what she asked you; please."

Tears streamed down her cheeks but she made no attempt to brush them away. "I-I can't! I-."

He held up his hands in obvious frustration and then placed them on his head. And suddenly she was afraid that she'd made him angry. "Will, I didn't mean to-."

"I swear, whatever you say is just between us, all right? I won't judge you in any way. Now what happened?"

She sniffled and nodded. "Will, she knew things; private things. She asked if we were sleeping together. She…. wanted to know when and where and how long it had been going on. She asked about Peter and-and Grace and Zach. Cary tried to get her to stop with the questions but she kept on going. They were going to charge me with contempt but I didn't care. I'd rather have been thrown in jail than have our relationship-."

"Damn it."

"She made me feel cheap, like I was some… someone who stood on street corners, waiting for men! I'm not like that, Will, I'm-."

His fists were clenched and he paced the room. "Damn her!"

"I –I couldn't take it anymore! I just-I walked out! I-." When she began to sob openly, his anger disappeared. His gaze softened and he held out his arms. "Alicia, come here."

She filled his embrace, sobbing against his chest while he held her close. "It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. Believe me; I would have done the same thing."

But Alicia continued to cry, comforted by the feeling of his arms around her and the sound of his heartbeat in her ear. His hand moved up and down her back and she held him even closer.

Surprisingly it only took moments for her sobs to diminish into shudders, but he didn't let it go. He continued to hold her until finally she slipped out of his arms.

God how she loved him.

His expression was different now; more serious than before. "Alicia, I'm, sorry. This is my fault."

"Will, no."

"But it is! The Grand Jury case, the affair, all of it!"

The last words cut through her like a knife and she swallowed hard. "Is that what you think? That our love is just an affair?"

"No! Not at all! Damn, I'm not saying the right things here, am I?"

"Well, what is the right thing, then?" She snapped.

"Look, I love you, all right? No. That's wrong. I'm in love with you. I know you're married with two children and I would never want to interfere with that. But I can't help the way I feel."

She moved closer and kissed his mouth, her hands poised to reach for the buttons on his shirt.

"Neither can I."

His arms went around her and pulled her closer to him, his mouth just inches from hers. "Well then, perhaps we should…"

"Mom, pick up the phone. Mom, pick up the phone…"

Startled apart, her heart jumped at the recorded sound of her daughter's voice; the ring tone Grace had designed just for her. She then gave her boss a sympathetic glance. "I need to take this."

He smiled. "Sure. I'm just going to make an appearance out-." He gestured toward his office door and when he kissed her forehead she nodded.

"Okay."

Alone in his office, she ran her finger across the smooth, flat surface of her phone and brought it to her ear. "Grace?"

"Yeah, Mom. It's me."

"What's going on? How are you and Zach?"

There was a sigh on the other end of the line, which caught her attention. "Yes, Mom. We're fine. I just-when are you coming home?"

The tiny spark of anxiety within her started to build. "Home? Oh, I-."

"I hope it's soon."

She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. She'd barely been here for two hours and everyone at Lockhart/Gardner knew that parties lasted well into the night; even with the obligation of coming into the office the following morning. She hadn't planned on coming home for quite some time. Grace had never objected to her staying late at work before and wasn't it Grace who encouraged her to go to the party?

An alarm sounded in her head. "Grace, what's wrong?"

A pause and then- "Um, nothing. Zach and I just-."

Tears sprang to her eyes as a million horrible scenarios raced through her mind. "What, Grace? What is it? Please, tell me what-." She looked up to see Will enter the office.

"What's wrong?" He mouthed.

"I don't know." She replied in the same voiceless manner.

"Is Will coming home with you?"

Alicia sat down on the sofa, surprised by her daughter's question. "Will? No, I-brought my car, remember?"

"I know, but can't he follow you here in his car or something?"

"Grace, you barely know Will! Now will you please tell me-."

"I'm fine, Mom. I swear. Don't get upset!"

"What about Zach?"

Alicia sighed at the way the sofa shifted when Will sat down beside her. And then he felt the touch of his hand on touch of Will's hand as it moved in circles around her back.

"Zach's fine, Mom. We both are. What's wrong with wanting you and Will to come home?"

"Nothing, but I'm in the middle of-."

"I know Mom. How's the birthday party?"

She was momentarily at a loss. "Birthday party?"

"Will's birthday party? Did he get a lot of presents?"

"Oh, well-."

"Right, it's probably too early for those. They usually have cake and stuff first. "

"Look, Grace… it's not really a-."

"Can you just please bring him over tonight? For a little while? Please, Mom?"

Alicia glanced at Will. "Oh… Well, all right. I'll be home a little later, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom. You're the best. I love you."

"I love you too. We'll see you then. But it might be pretty late."

"That's fine. We'll wait up. There's no school tomorrow, remember? Teacher in-service day?"

Alicia laughed. "You're right. I almost forgot about that. Good thing you reminded me before I woke you both up at dawn for school."

"Have fun, Mom. And don't worry. We're totally fine."

"I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

"Bye." Woodenly, Alicia hung up the phone and stared straight ahead. Will, however, was looking at her in concern.

"What's wrong? Are your kids okay?"

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean?"

"Grace asked if you were coming home with me. I don't know, it's… weird. Something's going on."

"You think she's lying?"

"No, but…I don't know what to think! I can't ask you to leave your party. Surely Grace can understand that."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I, which is why it worries me. Diane will understand. And so will Cary and the others. Come on. I'll take you home."

"But-."

"It's fine. We'll just tell them that I'm taking you home because of Grace and Zach."

"Will, it's really not that big of a deal. I have my car and-."

"I'll take you home. Or how about I'll follow you home."

"I really don't-."

"You don't want to take this lightly; especially if you're not sure what's going on. But I don't have any idea why Grace would want me to be there. I don't mind, but-."

"God, Will, what if something's really wrong?"

He grabbed his keys from his desk and she stared at him in disbelief. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. Let's tell them we're leaving so that we can get you home to your kids."

He took her hand and they headed out of his office. But she paused at the door and hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek.

"What was that for?"

"Thank you, Will."

He held her closer and smiled, touching his forehead to hers. "You're most welcome."


	5. Chapter 5

She drove slowly, the radio tuned to her favorite station. But she was oblivious to the song that floated out of her car speakers. The worry had crept into her chest and despite the reassurances of Cary, Diane and Will that everything would be fine, the worry only increased with each breath that she took. But each time that she stole a glance in the rear-view mirror, her eyes met Will's.

He was smiling, but the look in his eyes was a familiar one; a look of concern, not only for her but for her children. However, in the romantic fashion that he always possessed, he puckered his lips as though sending her a kiss. And she did the same. It was something that she and Will did when they were young students at Georgetown and would catch a glimpse of one another across the campus. Amazingly, it produced the same feeling now as it had back then.

By the time she slowed to turn left onto her street, she'd almost forgotten about her worry.

Almost. It returned the moment that her apartment building came into view.

Will pulled up beside her into the empty parking space and hurriedly got out of the car to help her. It wasn't necessary of course, but the gesture touched her deeply. "How're you doing?" He asked softly, his hand warm in hers.

She tried to smile as she stood to climb out of the car. "I'm…." But the words wouldn't come.

"Come on. The sooner we get in there, the sooner we'll find out what's going on. Although I can't imagine why Grace and Zach asked me to come. I mean, I'm flattered of course, but-."

She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him toward her, giving him a kiss that neither of them would soon forget. And she smiled at the way he was suddenly unsteady on his feet. "I'm so glad you're here, Will. Come on."

Hand in hand they walked into the building and greeted the doorman but just as they were about to head for the elevator, Alicia paused and let go of Will's hand.

"Alicia? What is it?"

But she ignored him and returned to the entrance where the doorman was still standing, peering out onto the street.

"Edward?"

He turned when he saw her. "Ms. Florrick. How are you this evening? It's always nice to see you and Mr. Gardner."

She smiled at his friendliness. "Alicia, please. And I'm sure that Mr. Gardner would prefer that you called him Will."

He nodded. "All right. I'll remember that. Have a nice evening, Alicia." He turned away, but she touched his back, causing him to turn around in surprise. "Oh.."

"Edward, h-have you seen Grace and Zack tonight?"

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, I saw them earlier. They seemed to be in a hurry when they came in but that was hours ago."

She felt her heart clinch and the tears began to rise. "Oh… O-okay. Th-thanks…"

"Is… is something wrong?"

Yes… she wanted to say. Something is very wrong. But then she felt Will's hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently and then the sound of his voice.

"I'm sure they're fine. Thank you Edward."

"I'm sorry I wasn't much help, Will..." Edward stammered. "I didn't-."

"It'll be fine. Thank you Edward." Will said again. He extended his hand. "Nice to see you again. And Alicia's right. Call me Will."

Edward smiled. "Good night, Will."

Alicia smiled at Edward and felt Will slip his hand into hers. They made their way into the elevator and he pushed the button for their floor. The moment it began to move, he pulled her toward him, and she rested her head against his chest, comforted by the way he was stroking her hair.

"It's going to be fine." He said softly. "I promise."

She lifted her head and looked at him. "But you don't-."

He kissed her repeatedly, almost making her forget her worry. And by the time he'd given her one last kiss, the doors opened.

She was home.


	6. Chapter 6

She was out of the elevator within seconds, aware of Will's quick steps behind her as she made the short jaunt to her apartment. The moment that she arrived, she forgot all about the keys in her hand and began banging on the door. "Grace! Zack! Are you in there?" Her calls were met with silence and she felt the tears spring to her eyes. God, this could not be happening…. The silence made her pound the door harder until she felt Will's hands on her shoulders. "Hey… Just relax…"

She turned to him in a fit of anger. "How can you say that? You don't know-."

"Here… give me your keys."

Before she could respond, he took the keys from her and flipped through them. "Which one is it? I always forget. The last time I did this was when… Oh yeah, two years ago when I drove you home from that party, remember? You called me and said you needed a ride home? You must have had fifty glasses of wine that night."

She remembered all right. But even more so, she remembered what had occurred the following night, when she'd come over to thank him. They'd made their way into the privacy of his bedroom and then-.

"It's dark." He whispered, causing the very sexy memory to vanish at once.

"What?"

"It's dark." He whispered, taking her hand. "Come on." He led her into the apartment and began moving his hand against the wall, trying to find the light switch. No one was around and he squeezed her hand as they made their way into the darkened kitchen. Once again he reached for the light but the room brightened automatically.

"SURPRISE!"

Alicia jumped, clinging to Will and she could tell by his trembling that he was just as shocked. The shock was caused by the sudden presence of her children. But it was Will who was even more puzzled by the scene in front of him; the scene that she had not yet noticed.

"Grace?"

"Happy birthday, Will!"

"Yeah." Zack said. "Happy birthday."

"Birthday?" Will asked. "But it's not-."

"I know it's not what you were expecting, but you do so much for our mom and you gave her a chance when no one else would, so we thought-."

Will let go of Alicia's hand and went to the table upon which sat brightly wrapped presents and a cake. Upon closer inspection Alicia noticed that the cake was decorated with a basketball them in the colors of Will's favorite team; the Chicago Bulls. And across the cake in black icing were the words "Happy Birthday Will"

"Wow, this is…" Will began and looked at Alicia once more. "I really… I don't know what to say."

Alicia simply smiled for she had no idea what to say either. She could see her children watching them with wide eyes, reminding her of the way they looked on Christmas morning. But then their smiles disappeared.

"What Will means is…"

"This is okay, right, Mom?" Zach asked. "I hope we didn't embarrass you and we didn't mean to scare you over the phone but we didn't want to give away the surprise. "

Overcome with love for her children, she went to them and hugged them warmly. "I'm not embarrassed at all. I was just worried, but this… I never expected this in a million years. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Mom." Grace and Zach said, almost in unison.

At that moment, Alicia had never loved her children more.


	7. Chapter 7

"All of this is for me?" Will asked, still in disbelief over the surprise birthday party.

"Well, yeah." Grace replied. "For your birthday! Aren't you going to open them?"

Will glanced at Alicia and then back at Zach and Grace. "Yeah, of course I am. Which one should I open first?"

"That one!" Grace beamed, pointing to a medium-sized box wrapped in blue, red and green paper; a pattern Alicia remembered buying at the Hallmark store just two weeks earlier.

Like a child, Will sat down and carefully removed the stuck-on bow from the package and then stuck it onto his head, making them all laugh. He stepped away briefly to admire his reflection in the hall mirror and then turned to them with a smile. "Looks good on me doesn't it?"

His comment brought more laughter into the kitchen. It was the most wonderful sound imaginable.

Alicia slapped him playfully on the arm. "Just open the gifts, Will."

He tore away the paper from the box like an excited child and smiled at what he saw. Proudly he held it up for all to see. "A new basketball! Awesome!"

"Well, we know how much you like to play." Grace said "Um, Mom told us."

"She's completely correct. I do love basketball." He turned to Alicia and a look passed between them which brought a sudden flash of a disturbing memory; a memory that she knew still haunted him. The fact that basketball had played a part in his being sent through hell with the Grand Jury. But they both knew that the incident wouldn't stop him from playing again.

Will smiled and looked at Grace and Zach. "Thank you, really. This is great. I can't wait to try this out on the court."

"There's more!" Zach said, handing Will a smaller box. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Will said, ripping the colorful paper from the box once more.

He lifted the lid and gasped. "No way! Seriously?"

Alicia's eyebrows rose. "What is it?"

"How cool is this?" He exclaimed, lifted a Chicago Bulls jersey from the box.

Alicia's mouth fell open at the sight. Those jerseys were expensive. She knew because Zach was constantly asking for one.

"Do you like it?" Grace asked.

"No, I love it!" Will exclaimed.

"Good because there's one more." Grace said.

Will eagerly took the last gift and opened it. Seconds later he was holding up a blue baseball cap emblazoned with the unmistakable blue and red logo of the Chicago Cubs.

"Hey!" He yelled, placing the cap on his head. "This is totally awesome! Now I'm all set for baseball and basketball season!"

But Zach and Grace's smiles suddenly disappeared, replaced with a look of worry.

"What's wrong?"

"Those are your favorite teams, aren't they?" Grace asked worriedly. "Because you know, Chicago has two teams and-."

"This is perfect." Will said. "I love it! Go Cubs!"

"Grace… Zach…" Alicia began carefully. "How did you manage to do all of this?"

"Grandma." Grace said.

Alicia was stunned by the answer. "Jackie is responsible for this?"

Zach and Grace laughed but Alicia did not. "No Mom… Your mom! You know how she always wants to buy us stuff? Well, we just thought…"

Alicia groaned, a terrible thought in her head. "Oh God, Grace… Tell me you didn't…"

"No Mom. We didn't tell her they were for Will. We just-Zach took the blame."

Will's eyebrows rose. "Blame?"

"I told her they were for me. And she believed me."

Alicia looked uneasily at Will and then back at Zach. "I'm sorry Mom. We just wanted to do something special for Will and when she came over the first thing she said was 'Let's go shopping!' She would have been upset if we'd told her no."

Will laughed and went to shake Zach's hand. "Thank you. Really."

"Happy birthday!" Grace said. "Who wants cake?"

"I do!" Zach said, hurrying to grab some plates, napkins and silverware from the cabinets and drawers.

Grace started to put some candles on the cake, but her eyes went to Will. "I didn't know how old you were, so I put one candle for every year that you and Mom have worked together."

"Well that's a great idea." Will said.

"Kids, Will and I will be right back." Alicia said. "I need to talk to Will for a minute."

"About a case?" Zach asked.

"Something like that."

"No problem." Zach said. "We can wait. Take your time."

As Alicia led Will out of the kitchen he suddenly paused and turned around. "Wait… there's something I need to do."

"What?"

He went to Grace and hugged her tightly and then hugged Zach, surprising both children with the sentiment. "Thank you both so much. This was a wonderful surprise and the best birthday ever. Thank you."

Zach and Grace were beaming with pride, which made Alicia smile. Rarely had they looked so happy.


	8. Chapter 8

In the privacy of the den, she stood in front of Will, feeling embarrassed. "Will, I'm so sorry about that. I had no idea that they had all of this planned. Your birthday isn't for months and-."

He grinned. "September 15th. Remember what we did last September 15th? I sure do. In fact I can't get it out of my mind. You looked so sexy in that blue dress and-."

Alicia's face flushed. She definitely remembered that day-and the hours of passion that followed.

"Will..."

He laughed and kissed her. "I'm sorry. I got carried away. What were you saying?"

"I just… It's my fault."

"What is?"

"Well, I told Grace and Zach that I was going to a party at work for you and Grace just assumed…"

He sighed deeply. "I wish it was a birthday party."

At the tinge of sadness in his voice, she hugged him tightly. "You'll be all right. We both will." She whispered into his ear. And when he let go of her she smiled, somewhat sadly. "I'm sorry, Will..."

"Why? You didn't do anything."

"I know, but I didn't mean to freak out earlier when Grace called. She just sounded so secretive on the phone and I was so worried. And when she insisted that you come, I didn't know what to think."

"Look at me." He said, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Don't ever apologize for worrying about your kids. You're a wonderful mom and you have wonderful kids. I could never thank them enough for this."

"But-."

He took her into his arms. "I know… But they meant well. I just can't believe I didn't see this coming."

"You couldn't have."

"You're right. And that's what makes it so special. No one has ever done anything like this for me before."

"Well I still feel guilty." Alicia admitted. "Before I left for the party, Grace kept asking me if it was a birthday party and asking me what I had gotten you as a gift."

"I already have my gift." He said, grinning mischievously. "I have you..."

Her face flushed as he began to kiss her neck. "Will, stop. They might be watching."

"So let them watch." He moved to kiss her again but she gently pushed him away.

"But what about…"

He let go of her, his smile disappearing. "Right… Peter…"

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant…"

Suddenly, Grace's voice floated out of the kitchen. "Mom! Are you coming? Zach is dying for birthday cake and so am I!"

"Coming, sweetie." Alicia called to her daughter and then glanced back at Will, feeling the slightest of disappointments. "So much for that."

"Cake does sound good, actually." Will mused. "Wonder what flavor it is?"

Alicia grinned. "There's only one way to find out."

"Your kids are great, Alicia."

"They are, aren't they?"

"Yes, and I can't imagine a birthday being better than this. Well, unless of course…"

Alicia grinned roguishly. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Just what are you thinking, counselor?"

"I'm thinking that maybe later, we can do some celebrating on our own. I have a few gifts in mind that I'm sure you'll like."

He drew her closer to him and gave her a scorching kiss. "I like where this conversation is headed. Go on…"

"Happy birthday, Will."

"Happy birthday to you too, Alicia." He said, deepening the kiss.

When the kisses ended, Alicia smiled and took his hand, leading him into the kitchen where the lights were dim and the glow of the candles on the birthday cake illuminated the room.

It was definitely a night for celebrating in more ways than one.

THE END


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